My chicken yard is 45x45 and we have hawks flying overhead all day. A few days ago a Cooper's hawk flew into the yard, right at the young chicks. Hubby and I were close enough to thwart the attempt but the hawk waited in a tree all day for another shot at it. I got online and ordered green bird netting in a roll, 100 feet long and 30 feet wide. I had it shipped overnight. We cut the length in half and draped each half over the yard meeting in the middle. We sewed the edges together with zip ties. We had to get creative around the fig tree. I think we have it pretty secure. A butterfly got in yesterday and couldn't find a way out. Hopefully the hawks understand that and just move on. The netting has an eight year warranty against UV damage as it is primarily sold to vineyards to protect the rows of grapevines from birds.
We used a bazillion zip ties and now I have to go cut the tails off and pull the netting tighter in certain spots. It attaches directly to our deck railing on the house side. I had my fence builder install 10' lodge poles so that when they were cut off even, we could string netting and have it over 7 feet high. I also had him cement a pole in the middle to hold the netting up. We also draped the netting down the sides and connected it to the no-climb fence with zip ties. Unless a hawk finds a way the rip the netting, it is not getting in! I am not trying to protect against other predators and realize a raccoon could tear this netting. It is just here as a hawk deterrent. I am depending on the safety and security of the coop against the others. I am also counting on the people who drive too fast down the dirt and gravel road behind the chicken coop to cover the netting in dust and make it less ugly. Like I said, it ain't pretty, but neither is the sight of a poor chicken killed by a hawk.
We used a bazillion zip ties and now I have to go cut the tails off and pull the netting tighter in certain spots. It attaches directly to our deck railing on the house side. I had my fence builder install 10' lodge poles so that when they were cut off even, we could string netting and have it over 7 feet high. I also had him cement a pole in the middle to hold the netting up. We also draped the netting down the sides and connected it to the no-climb fence with zip ties. Unless a hawk finds a way the rip the netting, it is not getting in! I am not trying to protect against other predators and realize a raccoon could tear this netting. It is just here as a hawk deterrent. I am depending on the safety and security of the coop against the others. I am also counting on the people who drive too fast down the dirt and gravel road behind the chicken coop to cover the netting in dust and make it less ugly. Like I said, it ain't pretty, but neither is the sight of a poor chicken killed by a hawk.